All I know that to replace the new $120 pair from Costco (which D lost right before departing on a year-long trip abroad) it cost us $400 at Lenscrafters, and the frame was not that good. We don’t have any vision insurance, so those were the numbers without insurance payments.
I recently bought a year’s worth of contact lenses for $72 with a $10 rebate. They were Biofinity and Biofinity Toric lenses. I would have been $90 to buy six month’s worth but there was a discount to buy for a year. Online and at the eye doctor this would have been about $200.
As the originator of this thread, I can say that we have never had any second thoughts about our Costco membership. Our closest store is about half an hour away too and we shop there about twice a month. In addition to the store, though, we have also used our membership for car rentals a few times and also for renter’s insurance for the apartment D rented her last year of college.
As an aside, I really do not understand why glasses in this country are so expensive and take so long to make. Like BB, we have paid a premium to get replacement glasses (primarily for older S) on short notice. Interestingly, he lost his glasses while traveling last year and had the good luck to lose them in Japan – he was able to get a new pair, based on the prescription I emailed him, in 3 hours for the equivalent of less than $200. And he says they are his favorite pair.
Aren’t all all eyeglass frames owned by luxottica? Giant monopoly. http://www.luxottica.com/en/eyewear-brands
Not all - mine are LaFont, which I get from an independent shop. I pay through the nose, but I like the frame styles there better than what’s at Costco.
My contacts come from there, though. Cannot beat the price.
Even with lower gas prices ATM, Costco is still a good 25 cents lower than anywhere else for premium.
There’s a Zozirushi rice cooker that I’ll be buying. Smaller, with all the fuzzy logic benis. $89
I think Luxottica owns anywhere from 75-90% of designer eyeglass market, but even their frames are not all of identical quality. To buy the frames identical to the ones D lost, I would have had to pay about $150 more, so we went with the cheapest version (and 24-hr turnaround, not the 2-hr one).
VeryHappy – As I understand, all glasses are about $250, varying sligjtly depending on the frames you chose. Huge money saver for me since I get every bell and whistle, high index, progressives, coatings, everything. That can run $600 or more at an optical shop. My insurance covers $150, so I was out the door for $100.
Is gas for the car a lot cheaper at Costco? What forms of payment do they take?
Gas prices vary from Costco to Costco around the country. Here, our Costco gas is often at least 20 cents cheaper than most stations - sometimes more. Always at least 10 cents cheaper. You have to use either your Costco Am Express card or your Costco membership card followed by a credit card - no cash.
I’m planning on picking up some fruit and veggie trays at Costco on my way to a reunion. Do I need to order them in advance? I thought I remembered seeing trays of at least veggies in the walk in veggie cooler, but can’t picture fruit all cut up on trays.
Yes, they do have cut up fruit in round plastic tubs near where they have the veggie cooler in the cooler section directly outside of the walk in (at least at the Costco nearest our home).
Our cat requires insulin and needles and since we do not have insurance for him, I find that Costco has the best price for his prescriptions.>>>>>>>
Yes, their Rx prices are the best and you don’t have to be a member to use the pharmacy.
Belonged in the past but let it drop.
I might rejoin and do a retirement project comparing Costco w/ shopping sales w/ coupons at local grocery stores for a year. In the past, I found some things to come up regularly in the sales rotation at a regular store that made them cheaper than Costco, example toothpaste. Especially if your store has BOGO sales.
I hesitate to jump back in now that we don’t have three eating machines here at home. I just don’t *think it could be all that big of a deal savings wise for just two of us.
Our household is small these days, too. We still have a Costco membership because it pays for itself if we use it to rent a car only one time during the year.
We still shop in the warehouse, but we have stopped buying the perishable items in the gigantic sizes.
We also use the car rental option with our Costco membership and it saves us significantly!
Can you explain how the car rental works with Costco membership? Do you rent from a certain company?
Car rental is terrific. https://www.costcotravel.com/Rental-Cars Check it out.
Budget, Alamo, Avis and Enterprise are the companies they use.
In the past three years, Costco has had the best price on cars that
I could find every time but one. (And on that one H had a special
coupon code from his hotel status.)
Mr. just got a Canon camera… to take pictures of the lunar eclipse. 8-|
Mr. just got a Canon camera… to take pictures of the lunar eclipse. 8-|
Getting the car rental from Costco was the only way we could figure out how to rent a car for S who was 23 and not pay the extra fees. That month one of them (can’t remember which company…) had a free second driver. I was able to purchase the plan as the first driver and he was added as the second driver - we had to show ID and everything and I made it clear I wasn’t actually driving with them - they said, “no problem!” Saved a TON of $$!